Dairy Queen is known for serving cold ice cream but in celebration of its 75th anniversary in 2015, it rolled out a new line of warm foods under 'DQ Bakes.'
The menu items include desserts, snacks and artisanal-style sandwiches -- all of which are baked and served warm to contrast the company's traditional food items. DQ Bakes' sandwiches come in three different styles -- chicken bacon, chicken mozzarella and a turkey BLT. The snack-sized wraps come with similar flavors and ingredients as well as a quesadilla-style wrap. The artisanal-style foods were decided upon in an attempt to respond to the growing demand for high-quality and healthy foods among fast food restaurant patrons.
By creating a new menu that contrasts with the company's traditional offering of mostly cold and sweet food items, DQ has ensured that it can stay relevant in an ever-evolving fast food market.
What's Driving This Trend
- Artisanal-style Fast Food
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Fast food chains can create new menus with artisanal-style options to meet the growing demand for high-quality and healthy foods.
- Warm Food Offerings
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Fast food chains can introduce warm food items to diversify their menu and cater to customers seeking more savory options.
- Menu Expansion
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Fast food chains can expand their menu with new dessert, snack, and sandwich options to attract a wider range of customers.
Who This Affects Most
- Fast Food
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Fast food chains can differentiate themselves by offering unique and artisanal-style food options.
- Restaurant
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Restaurants can explore the trend of warm and artisanal-style food offerings to enhance their menu and attract new customers.
- Food and Beverage
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Food and beverage companies can develop new products and flavors that cater to the growing demand for high-quality and healthy fast food options.
